By Joan Russow

The writer, Joan Russow, PhD, is Co-Ordinator, Global Compliance Research Project, based in Canada.

VICTORIA BC, Canada (IDN) — Over the years, whenever the United States— with or without the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)—decided to go to war, the US used pretexts for war.

Human security to justify the invasion of Iraq in 1991, humanitarian intervention in Kosovo in 1999, Article 51 self-defence, in Afghanistan in 2001 prevention /pre-emptive strike, in Iraq in 2003, the Responsibility to Protect , in Haiti, in 2004 and in Libya, in 2011. and when all these pretexts were discredited a new one emerged: A Canadian- inspired “the Will to Intervene.” [2022-02-28]

By Thalif Deen

UNITED NATIONS (IDN) — The spiraling crisis in Ukraine has an ominous underlying fact: it is a conflict that involves four of the world’s major nuclear powers: the US, Russia, UK and France, with the remaining five, namely China, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel on the sidelines as spectators—at least so far. [2022-02-27]

By C. Todd Lopez

This article was issued by U.S. Department of Defense.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (IDN) — In response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced on February 25 activation of the alliance's defense plans, which means also that it can deploy the NATO Defense Force. The U.S. Defense Department now stands ready to provide capabilities to help fill that defense force, if asked to do so, said Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby. [2022-02-26]

By Reinhard Jacobsen

VIENNA (IDN) — The Commonwealth of Dominica announced its decision early February to join the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) that bans nuclear explosions by everyone, everywhere—on the Earth's surface, in the atmosphere, underwater and underground. The Treaty was signed 26 years ago but it has yet to enter into force. [2022-02-25-28] ITALIAN | JAPANESE TEXT VERSION PDF | PORTUGUESE

By Ramesh Jaura

BERLIN | TOKYO (IDN) — Along with the United Nations, the community-based Buddhist organisation Soka Gakkai International (SGI) offers a beacon of hope particularly when the world is plagued by crises threatening the survival of humankind.

Every year since 1983, SGI President Daisaku Ikeda, a Buddhist philosopher, peacebuilder and educator, has issued a peace proposal. His latest—and the 40th—titled "Transforming Human History: The Light of Peace and Dignity"—was released on January 26. [2022-02-21-27] ARABIC | HINDI | JAPANESE TEXT VERSION PDF

By Thalif Deen

UNITED NATIONS (IDN) — North Korea, long described as a “hermit kingdom”, apparently isn’t living in total political isolation or is cut off from the rest of the world.

Or so it seems, judging by the failure of the US and some of its UN allies to impose sanctions on five North Korean officials—sanctions really aimed at a country which continues to defy the West with its multiple ballistic nuclear tests. [2022-01-30-26]  JAPANESE TEXT VERSION PDF | NORWEGIAN | SPANISH

By Ramesh Jaura

BERLIN | PRAGUE (IDN) — On January 24, 1946, the United Nations General Assembly adopted by consensus its very first resolution Resolution 1 (I), which established a commission of the UN Security Council to ensure "the elimination from national armaments of atomic weapons and all other major weapons adaptable to mass destruction". JAPANESE TEXT VERSION PDF | PORTUGUESE

By Thalif Deen

NEW YORK (IDN) — When the world’s five major nuclear powers—the US, UK, China, France and Russia—pledged to prevent nuclear wars and abandon the pursuit of more weapons, their joint statement released January 3 explicitly left out several of the demands from anti-nuclear activists, including an end to the upgrading and enhancing of existing arsenals. [2022-01-09-24] CHINESE | GERMAN | JAPANESE TEXT VERSION PDF | SPANISH

By Thalif Deen

NEW YORK (IDN)— The United Nations, which has been brought to a virtual standstill because of an upsurge in coronavirus infections in New York City, has been forced to postpone a long-awaited 10th review conference (REVCON) of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), scheduled to take place 4-28 January.

Diane Barnes, NGO Liaison Office at the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), was explicit: "There will be no Review Conference in January 2022, in any format". [2022-01-01-23] HINDI | JAPANESE TEXT VERSION PDF | RUSSIAN